Jealous?

It was like an unspoken game. Each of them was out to get the other jealous, to make their fists curl and their eyes blaze until they were the first to give in. There were no prizes; no rules, just the underlying intent to make the other one feel so angry that they were ablaze with envy.

The attraction between the two of them was undeniable, always managing to drag them back to the other’s side. The passion between them was completely raw and almost sinful, although neither would give in to the temptation they felt. They could deny the jealousy all they wanted, but those around them could see the way his hazel orbs would darken as he watched her dance with another man, and the way her body would tense when she saw him lip-locked with a different woman. Those around them knew of their feelings, but each was too stubborn or proud to give in.

So they played.

Let the games begin.

~~~~~

His hazel eyes traced her as she made her way across the floor, watching the sensuous sway of her hips as she walked by and drinking up the taunting look in her eyes. He could feel himself growing tense as she drew closer, and he automatically ran his eyes down her body, licking his lips subconsciously at what he saw. Her dress was hanging tightly against her skin, showing the curvature of her hips and enough cleavage to make him hunger for more. Her luscious lips were pulled up into a smirk as she observed him, and it was all he could do not to claim them as his own.

She raised a sculptured eyebrow, her smirk only growing. Jealous yet?

He grinned at her, refusing to admit the way her body was making him feel. Not even close.

The bets were on; their fate was sealed. And so it began.

~~~~~

Eliza grinned at her friend, pushing an errant tendril of hair behind her ear as she took a delicate sip of her drink. She was taking it slow, testing the waters for a bit before she made her move. Obviously, he wasn’t so patient.

“Guys, this is Anna.”

It was his voice, smug and low, in exactly the tone that he knew made her weak. Licking her lips, she looked over at him, taking in the smirk that clung to his lips. His muscular arm was wrapped around a smaller blonde girl, who was clinging on to him like he was her lifeline.

She felt her chest tighten and her jaw clench as she saw the blonde place her hand on his chest, running her finger down his shirt seductively. She could feel his eyes on her but she looked away, concentrating on anything but the pair beside her. God, how she wanted to rip the girl’s arm off and claim him as hers, right there in the middle of the club.

From the corner of her eye she could see their lips attached, and she felt her teeth clench as she took in a deep, calming breath.

Oh, Matthew Sanders, you play a rough game.

His eyes never left hers as they kissed, and the glimmer in his darkened orbs silently asked her the question. Jealous?

She raised her glass to him, giving him a taunting smile. Not yet.

~~~~~

From the corner of her eye she could see him watching her, his hazel eyes tracing her every move. Smirking softly in pleasure, she ran her eyes across the room, looking for something to play with. Her eyes met a pair of blue ones and she smiled, running her fingers through her hair in a way that seemed almost seductive.

He beckoned her over and she grinned, flicking her hair over her shoulder before standing up, her hips swaying as she made her way over. Target one: acquired.

She could feel his eyes burning holes into her back as she stopped beside the stranger, a smile dancing across her lips. She ran a finger down his chest slowly, her eyes never leaving his, raising her eyebrows as she leant down. “You asked for me?” she whispered tauntingly, her voice low and hauntingly sweet.

The man gripped her hips with his hands, pulling her closer to his body. Smiling, she brought her lips down on his slowly, loving the feeling of his eyes staring at her back.

That was how you wanted to play, wasn’t it Matt?

She pulled the man closer, gripping his shirt with her fists as she pushed her lips against his more passionately. His lips tasted of bitter alcohol and his mouth of cigarettes but she did not stop, playing her part to the full.

When she pulled away she was breathless, and the man beneath her seemed almost enchanted. Biting her lip, she brought her mouth to his ear, her warm breath tickling the bare skin of his cheek. “I’ll be back,” she said lowly, feeling him shiver beneath her. He nodded and she pulled away, sending him a soft smile before sauntering over to the bathroom.

The door had barely swung shut when she felt his hands on her hips, his mouth nuzzled into the crook of her neck. His breath was coming out in pants and his hold on her hips was tight, pulling her closer to his body so that there was no space between them. She felt a smug smile pull at her lips, although she couldn’t help the way her chest seemed to tighten as the familiar sparks ran through her.

She could feel bruises forming where his hands held onto her hips but she said nothing, slightly breathless as they stood there. In a second she was turned around, his hands pinning her arms above her head, his hazel eyes smoldering as they stared into hers, darkened to a point where they were almost black. He wasted no time in leaning forwards and crashing his lips against hers, pulling her tighter against his body and rolling his hips against hers, eliciting a small moan from her lips.

His movements began to become animalistic at the feel of her beneath him, craving her touch and her lips in a way that could never be quenched. He felt as though his body was on fire as her fingers curled through his hair, her tongue slipping onto his mouth and tangling with his.

He pushed her against the wall, a small, guttural growl leaving his lips, his grip on her becoming almost violent as he tried to suppress his urges. She tugged on the end of his hair with her long fingers, and he let out a low grunt of pleasure. But as usual, they pulled away, their eyes locked in a heated gaze as they stood there, ragged breaths escaping their lips.

“Jealous?” she breathed, her chest rising and falling with her pants. It was the first time either of them had spoken the question out loud, but his heart was beating too fast for him to even comprehend what she was saying.

So he smirked, his face buried into her neck, placing a chaste kiss on the bottom of her chin. He took his time answering, running his long tongue up the side of her neck, taking her earlobe in his teeth and softly sucking on it. She felt her breath become caught as he did so and he smirked against her neck, dropping her earlobe as his nose caressed her cheek. “Not yet,” he murmured huskily.

~~~~~

The room was growing clouded with darkness, a flicker of light streaming from above her lightening the sharp contours of her face. Her chocolate hair was cascading in waves down her body, and he wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through them, to feel them brushing against his body as his lips met her own. Oh, how he craved her touch, their earlier encounter only leaving him aching for more.

His heart was heavy as he watched her, his hands itching to be placed in their rightful spot on her hips. His abdomen was swirling with warmth, and more than anything he wanted to feel her beneath him, to see those sapphire orbs staring into his and only his, looking at him and only him.

God, how he wanted her. Her lips were a drug and he was addicted, not only to her touch but to her affection as well. But he couldn’t be first to submit. If Matt Sanders was anything, he was stubborn, and no matter what she would be the first to crack. He couldn’t be weak, but damn did she make it hard for him. A simple look his way and he was on his knees, ready to submit. She was a vixen, but she was his. Matt was protective of his belongings.

Her blue eyes flickered to his face and she smiled at him, lifting her dainty hand up to give him a wave. He settled on giving her a smirk, showing no sign of the discomfort he was feeling from the way she was dancing. Her eyes sparkled as she turned away, and he watched the way her hair danced with the movement.

His hands clenched in fists as he evaluated his next step. But somehow, his mind couldn’t leave her. Letting out a soft growl of displeasure, he allowed his eyes to roam back over to her figure, feeling his chest tighten at what he saw. Her small hands were on another man’s hips, their bodies swaying in time. Her lips were pulled up into a dazzling smile, a smile that made even him weak.

It took everything in him not to walk over there and snatch her in his arms, anger beginning the fuel his body as he watched the way the man looked at her.

Oh, Eliza, you make it so hard.

And then their lips touched and Matt was out of his chair, his breathing ragged as he tried to hold himself back. He was seething, envy filling his every pore, possessiveness over her making him feel condemned. Matthew Sanders did not like to share, not at all. And even though it was all a game, even though this was all part of it, it hurt his heart more than he would ever admit to.

Her eyes met his, glowing slightly when they saw his state. It took everything in him to stay composed, to stay calm in her eyes. It took everything in him not to succumb to her trance. ’Jealous?’ she mouthed, holding the man’s hips against her own.

He wanted to say yes, god damn it did he want to say yes. He wanted to shout it but his pride was worth too damn much, the price of losing almost too much to bear. So numbly, he shook his head, a smirk clinging to his lips. But deep inside, he was cracking.

You can watch the pieces of me slipping away, Elizabeth Maybourn, but you will never see me surrender.

~~~~~

The brunette on his lap giggled as he grinned at her, his dimples shining. His fingers numbly made their way through her hair, although his mind was elsewhere. He was barely aware of her fingers against his skin, and the way she was looking into his eyes. He was too focused on wondering whether she was watching, whether he was getting to her the way she was getting to him.

Deciding to step it up a notch, he cupped her cheeks with his hands, pulling her awaiting lips against his.

Nothing. God damn it, why did he feel nothing? No fire, no warmth, no electricity. Not a damn thing, except the taste of alcohol on her lips. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure he liked it. Nothing could compare to her lips, to her touch and her body.

But it was worth it, as long as she was watching.

He pulled the lips tighter against his body, the small girl on his lap letting out a throaty moan, her fingers tangling in his hair. God, did she have to pull so damn hard?

His eyes flickered over to Eliza, no longer fighting the need to see her watching. His lips froze when he saw her, his muscular body going stiff and rigid. Because she wasn’t watching him. She was too busy being lip locked with the man from earlier, her hands tangled in his golden hair. And what was worse was that she didn’t even seem to notice him, hell, she didn’t even seem to care that he was watching.

Pushing the brunette off of his lap, he seemed to have no control over his body as he stormed over, feeling a fire racing through his veins. His vision was clouded and his hands were in fists, but through all of the anger, through all of the fury, all he could concentrate on was the pain. The pain in his heart. The jealousy. She was his. Only his.

His mind was no longer rational. The game was forgotten; the rules the last thing on his mind. His heart was hurting, more than he had ever felt, more than he ever knew was possible to feel.

Her eyes flicked to him just before he stopped beside the pair, and a shimmer of satisfaction passed through her blue orbs, before they were replaced with darkness and lust. Pushing the man away, he picked her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist, pushing her heat against his in a way that made him grunt. In a second his lips sought out hers angrily, his hands tightly gripping her ass as he moved her away from the crowd, pushing her harshly against the wall. Her hands trailed through his hair and he bit her lip, causing a moan to leave her mouth.

He pulled away, his bruised lips automatically finding her neck, sucking on the soft skin there. She arched her back slightly to him, both oblivious of the world around them, only able to focus on each other and their own hunger.

”Mine.” The word left his lips without his knowledge, but she was too caught up in the feeling of his lips and his hands to acknowledge what he had said. She gripped his chin with her hand and crashed her lips against his, allowing the fire to ignite in both of them and the warmth to build up. Her hands explored his body, trailing down his chest, gripping against his stomach, desperate for more skin to touch and more places to explore. She tightened the grips her legs had on him, grinding her lower part against his, causing a low moan to escape both of their lips.

They pulled away, panting, both in too deep to untangle themselves. But still she asked. She buried her face into his neck, breathing in his musky scent, placing a kiss against his shoulder blade. “Jealous?” she panted, her warm breath hitting the bare skin of his neck.

He pulled her tighter against his body, and he knew he wanted it that way forever. Their eyes met; hazel against blue, both darkened by lust and an emotion they were too scared to put a name to. “You bet I am,” he said lowly, his voice slightly husky in a way that made her shiver in his arms.

And it didn’t matter that she won. It didn’t matter that their time had gone to waste, or that he had given up his pride. All that mattered was that she was in his arms, where she was supposed to be, and that his heart no longer hurt like it used to. All that mattered was that she could taste him against her lips, that she could feel his body against hers, and that her body was no longer overcome with envy.

Their lips met once more, softly, barely brushing against each other’s but igniting the sparks all the same.

Game Over.